The Spicerville Highway farm has been designated by the Michigan State Historical Preservation Office as the 138th recorded historical site in Eaton County.
There are 22,000 recorded historical sites on land in Michigan. Some were once Native American settlements. Others were pioneer homesteads or logging sites. Another 1,500 shipwrecks or underwater sites are on record.
Spear points, arrow heads, pestles used to grind spices and other items, banner stones used as weights on spears, knives, a smoking pipe, and pendants were found on the farm.
The items have led experts to believe that more than one group of prehistoric Native Americans lived on the land. Some of the 120 artifacts date back 350 years, while others date back as far as 5,000 years.
The farm was likely considered high ground between two viable water sources, the Grand and Kalamazoo rivers.
For the full story, see Rachel Greco, “5,000-year-old artifacts found on Charlotte farm”, Lansing State Journal, March 1, 2015.